Stop Exploitation Of Vaucluse History

Unchecked development is threatening the destruction of three historically significant buildings in the center of Vaucluse, South Carolina.

Dating to 1904, these three contributing structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Vaucluse Mill Historic District. This designation commemorates the integral role of Vaucluse and its hard-working families in the development and growth of the textile industry as a cornerstone of South Carolina's turn-of-the-20th-century economy.

Already, one of the buildings has been destroyed by profiteering developers. Two other buildings are in the crosshairs of demolition. -- including a tiny U.S. Post Office and another building that served as a theater in the 1920s, showing films of Charlie Chaplin, Errol Flynn and other icons from Hollywood's silent-film era.

These iconic buildings are now threatened by Atlanta-based developers, operating under the guise of a "non-profit" historical trust. The plan is to build ultra-modern commercial properties under the New Urbanism philosophy that will directly profit from the destruction of history and dilute and forever poison the cultural character of South Carolina's oldest remaining mill village. This brand of development also promotes gentrification and could force out of the village many lower- to middle-class descendants of families who have lived here for generations.

SAVE VAUCLUSE respectfully asks to Aiken County Council and the County Administration and the South Carolina Department of History & Archives to immediately block the wanton destruction of these historically-vital buildings and demand responsible plans that incorporate the existing historic buildings into future development.